The Story of Marisa Coulter
by hdmgirl
Summary: Have you ever wondered what happened before Lyra was born? Before she even met Edward Coulter? Well Im telling you Marisa's life story all up to when she gave up Lyra.
1. Marisa

The Story of Marisa Coulter

A young girl named Marisa walked along the streets. She was at the age of 17, and living on the streets. This girl's daemon, still unsettled. Her parents were killed when she was only four, by a group of men. They would've killed Marisa, if she wouldn't have ran away. She had lived in an orphanage before, and it wasn't a very nice experience for her. She remembered it clearly. She was six years old.

In Marisa's small bedroom at the orphanage, Marisa stood by the window, her daemon a butterfly on her shoulder. A girl came up to Marisa, and pushed her. She cried out, as she hit the wall.

"What was that for?!" Marisa shouted at her.

"For being a little brat."The girl said in response. She was about to walk away, and Marisa grabbed her. The girl pulled away, and turned around, an angry look on her face. Marisa looked at her back, the same way, filled with rage and anger.

"Listen here, I'm going to get away from here. And I wont let people like you push me around. I'm tired of it. I hate it. I'm going to have power someday, and then you will tremble at my presence."Marisa said, and the girl just laughed.

"Yeah right! In your dreams! You'll be lucky if you get a buck."

"I hate you!"Marisa shouted at her.

"Same here."She responded nastily, and walked off. Her daemon was in the form of a tiger, growling fiercely. Marisa then sat on her bed, and cried. Her daemon went over to her, as a monkey, and comforted her. Two of the older girls came in, who were reaching 13.

"Hey, why are you crying?"Asked the girl, with the red hair. Marisa didn't answer. The other girl looked at Marisa's daemon, and thought to herself, then she asked curiously:

"Marisa? Why doesn't your daemon have a name?" She asked.

"Because, his name is my name. He is half of me. I am him, and he is me. So, he shouldn't have a separate name, now should he?"Marisa told her, and she nodded.

"You sure are a strange one."She said, and the red-headed girl shook her head.

"Don't mind her, Marisa. You're not strange you're just....._different_." She said. Marisa kept her face away from them.

"Thanks."Marisa said, with sarcasm.

"Look, just go away. Please."

The red headed girl sighed, and nodded.

"If that's what you want Marisa."She said, and left the room. The other girl followed.

That entire month, Marisa never stopped thinking about how she wanted power, wealth, and fame. She looked out her window, and saw two women. Their daemons moving gracefully beside them as they walked. They were both dressed nicely, their hair in beautiful styles. Marisa gave a smile to herself. This is what Marisa wanted to be. She wanted to be like these women.

"I bet they have wealthy husbands....fine houses, all the riches in the world. I want to have that. Don't you?" Marisa said to her daemon.

"It looks nice."He said softly.

"It does."She said. They both stared out the window, and thought of how great it would be, to live the way those women did. Marisa wanted to be like them so badly. Exactly like them.


	2. Running Away

The Story of Marisa Coulter

Part 2

Author's note:Yes, I know, this chapter is very short because I really didn't have enough time to write a lot, but I'll probably update tomorrow. I might continue on while Marisa is still six, or I will skip all that, and go straight forward to where she's seventeen. You decide what I should do.

Everyone else, including the adults at the orphanage, were asleep. Except for Marisa. It was past midnight, and Marisa couldn't sleep. She couldn't stop thinking of how she wanted a different life; a better one, like the richest women in London had. Marisa had dreams about getting a large flat in the grand part of London, have nice clothes, eat fantastic meals, and be the most glamorous person that she could be. Marisa sat up from her position on her bed, and turned her body around to get off. Her daemon, a fox, looked alarmed.

"What are you doing?!"He asked, in a whisper.

"We're leaving. I cant stand it here any more. I want to explore, go places, be someone. Being here is holding me back." She said, as she got up from the bed, and walked silently over to the door. Her daemon was feeling nervous, but he obediently followed her. She turned the door knob carefully until it opened, and she went out the door. Marisa made her way down the hallway, then down the stairs, her footsteps quiet as a mouse. Her daemon fluttered as a moth beside her. She got the hair pin from her hair, and put it in the key hole. She moved it around a bit, until she heard the door unlock, and she turned the knob. Her daemon went out of the door by Marisa's side, not knowing what would happen once they left. But they did. No one looked for them, and they never came back.


	3. New Life

The Story of Marisa Coulter Part 3

The whole night Marisa slept outside in an alley. Her hair was tangled, and her clothes had dirt on them. The next morning Marisa awoke, and saw her daemon beside her, as a cat. She got up, with her daemon, and walked around. She then saw a woman. She was tall, her hair dark red, she was wearing a long white dress, with a white fur coat. Her daemon a white cat beside her, walking gracefully. She looked about 20 years old. Marisa took all her corage, and walked up to the woman. The woman's daemon hissed at Marisa's, and he stood there.  
"Get away, you filthy street rat."The woman said. Marisa stood there not knowing what to say, wanting to cry.  
"Please, I really need a home. I want to be just like you."She said to the woman. She scoffed, and walked away.

"Well, we learned a lesson. The women that you want to be like are heartless."Her daemon said, quietly. Marisa sighed to herself, and walked in the opposite direction.

Later on, Marisa sat on the corner of the street, her stomach growling. She hadnt had any food since last night before she left the orphanage, at dinner. She saw a food stand, and went over to it. She didnt have any money, but she wondered if she could get something to eat without it. She went up to the man behind the stand, and looked at him, her blue eyes glistening.  
"Sir, please, if you'd be so kind enough, just to give me a little thing to eat, I would really appreciate it. You see, my brother, he hasn't eaten in days, and he's dieing of starvation. Please, he's the only thing I've got, please! He needs food now!"Marisa said. Tears were in her eyes, that wern't even close to real.  
"Alright, alright..em..here."He said, and gave her a sandwich.

"Thank you! Thank you, thank you!"She said, and ran off. She went over to the alley, and sat on the ground. She took a bite of the sandwhich, and made a noise, that said it all. She loved the taste of it, and it was so filling. She took small bites, and chewed it slowly, wanting to make it last. And then she realized somthing. That was the first time she had lied to anyone. She was always a truthful young girl, and she never told a lie, but lieing actualy got Marisa what she wanted, rather than telling the truth. So she lied again. She went up to a man, and got on her knees.  
"Please, my Mum is dieing, I need money for her operation, please, I just need a few bucks more, and then the bill will be covered. Please, we spent everything we had on my Mum's operation, but it cant be done without the last ten dollars. Please!"She said, and cried hystericaly. He helped her up.  
"Sh, shh. Dont cry. Here, I'll give you twenty."He said, and got out his wallet. He took out twenty dollars worth of money, and gave it to her. She sobbed quietly, as if she was so upset that she couldnt stop crieing.

"Bless you, thank you so much."She said, and walked off. She was going to save this money, to buy food, a blanket to sleep on, and a blanket to keep her warm at night. Marisa had become a lieing, deciving street rat;Marisa didnt even feel ashamed about it. If it got her food, and money, then she was perfectly alright with lieing. She would spend her entier lifetime lieing if she had to.


	4. Curiosity

The Story of Marisa Coulter Part 4

Marisa was walking down the road the next morning, looking around curiously. She saw a church in the distance, but she didn't know what it was. She went over to it curiously, and looked up at the giant building. She went inside, and looked around. There was a small hallway, with a few small doors, and a very tall, and wide door at the end of the hallway. This got Marisa's attention. She went over to the door, and struggled to open it. It was quite heavy. She saw paintings, portraits, and drawings on the wall. She looked up at one of the Authority. There was a priest at the stand, in front of a crowd, sitting at the benches. He was in the middle of talking, that sounded like a speech to Marisa. The door slammed behind her, and Marisa gave a gasp, as everyone in the room, including the priest, turned their heads towards Marisa. She smiled weakly.

"Hi."Marisa said. Almost everyone in the room smiled, as did the priest.

"Come. Come to me child."He said, a warm smile on his face. She walked over to him, in a skipping manor. There was complete silence as she walked. It was so quiet, that Marisa's gentle footsteps sounded like booms.

"Now what's your name, child?"He asked her.

"Marisa."She answered.

"Marisa. We welcome Marisa today, to our church, and may He be in her heart."The priest said, as if speaking to the crowd. A roar of applause filled the room. Marisa smiled.

"Now, she's got filthy clothes, and tangled hair, but her smile is warm, and her heart is pure. Let us praise her with our joy, for this sweet youth, and let her have it for as long as she can possibly have it. Let her be beautiful beyond belief, and let the roses bloom in her presence. Bless this wonderful little child, Marisa."He said, then turned to her, and kissed her hand. Her eyes sparkled, and she looked at the crowd, that was cheering, and saw a seat that was open in the first row, and she sat down in it. All was quiet now. She brushed off her clothes, and smiled up at the priest, and he smiled back, then continued with the speech he was giving before. Marisa listened to every single word exactly. His voice sounded like loud booms.

Later on, church let out, and Marisa went up to the priest.

"Excuse me, but could I ask you a question?"Marisa asked.

"Yes, child."He said, with a smile. He looked old, and he was short. His hair a white grey, almost white. His skin was wrinkled up, and shriveled.

"What were you saying about that thing you called, dust? It doesn't sound like the normal kind."

"Ah....Dust. Well, it's a very complicated matter, far too complicated for children."

"But I want to know about it. Please tell me."She said, her voice soft, sweet, and deceiving.

"Well, Dust is a strange particle, that we believe contains Sin. It's apart of particle metaphysics. Sin, is something you'll learn when you're older. Run along now."He said, and Marisa nodded, then walked out of the room, down the hall, then out the door.

After that, Marisa went to church every day, and she learned particle metaphysics from the priest. She knew basically everything about it now. Except the most puzzling part, was understanding Dust. Marisa couldn't understand it yet. She went to a library, and looked around. She saw a book containing information about particle metaphysics. This joyed Marisa. She took it off the shelf, and opened it, and started reading from the very first page. She read as she walked over to a chair at a table, and sat down. It was a large book, and it had the thickness of a dictionary. After three hours, she finally finished. She put it down, and it made a slight bang noise. The librarian, who was watching her, walked over to her.

"Excuse me Miss, but did you read that entire book?"The man asked her. Marisa nodded.

"Yes. Particle metaphysics, is so....intresting...exciting...fasinating."Marisa said.

"And, how old are you?"He asked, curiously. He was amazed that a girl such as Marisa, was interested in particle metaphysics.

"Eight."Marisa answered, and the librarian looked astonished. Almost shocked.

"Well, we have many books here for that subject. Would you like me to show them too you?"He asked. Marisa's face lit up.

"Really? You do? I'd love to see them. Please."Marisa said. He smiled, and took her hand, and walked her over to a section of the library. It had a portion of the shelf, that had about fifty or sixty books on it. They were all on particle metaphysics. Marisa had a look of excitement.

"I can read them all?"She asked. He smiled.

"If you'd like. You know, you could bring these with you, if you get a library card. Then you can check them out."He said.

"But, I don't really have any money."Marisa said.

"You don't have to pay to get a library card. You just fill out a form, and you'll have one in two days."He told her.

"Alright. May I have one?"She asked.

"Of course."He said, then walked her over to the desk. She stood on her toes, to get her head over the counter, as she watched him get a pile of forms. He took one off the top, then gave it to Marisa.

"All you need is your name, date of birth, and you'll have a lifetime library card."He said.

"Ok."She said, and got the pen from the desk, and wrote out her name, Marisa, and her date of birth, that said that she was eight years old. She handed it to him. He looked at it, but he didn't take it.

"Last name too, sweetie."He said. She looked at it, and wrote down a last name:

Maron. Marisa Maron. She decided that this was the name that she was going to go by now, since she didn't know her real last name. She handed it to him, and he took it, smiling.

"Thank you. You can come pick up your library card this Monday."He told her, and she nodded.

"Can I read one of those books _now_?"She asked. He nodded.

"Go ahead."He said, then she ran off, over to the shelf, and she picked out the first one she could grab, and sat down in that spot. She leaned against the book shelf, opened the book, and started to read.


	5. Thirteen

The Story of Marisa Coulter Part 5

After the age of thirteen, Marisa had learned so so much about particle metaphysics. She also learned a lot about Dust, and Sin. Dust seemed like it contained Sin to Marisa. A lot of people knew her now. She would sometimes be walking down the street, and someone would say 'hello' to her. Though, most of those people thought that she was strange, because of her knolage about Dust, and everything, at such a young age.

She walked to the library, and looked around the shelves. Since she had a lifetime library card, and she had read all of the particle metaphysics books, she decided to read things like Shakespear, history books, science books, she read books by every author, every subject, exept for romance novels. She read fiction, non-fiction, poetry, she even looked up words in the dictionary when she couldnt find anything good to read. She had read practicaly almost every book in the library. She was very intelligent, though she never spent one day at a school. She couldnt aford it. No parents, no home, she could only get scraps of money. School was not an option for Marisa. But, Marisa didnt even need it.


	6. The Flight

The Story of Marisa Coulter

Part 6

Marisa was in an airport, wandering around. She was now at the age of fourteen, still out on the streets, still alone. Her daemon still hadnt settled and as of now, in the form of a little terrier dog. She saw a plane was boarding. She had heard of a place in America, New York City. She was told that it was a wonderful place, and it was filled with life and excitement. It sounded like a fantastic place to Marisa. She wondered if she could get on a flight going to New York. She looked around, and saw a plane boarding to New York. There was a man by the door of the plane taking tickets. She walked over to the door, and she pretended to trip, and it looked realistic. She tumbled into the man, and he dropped all of the tickets.  
"Oh no!"Marisa yelled.  
"I-Im sorry.... "She helped him pick up the tickets.  
"It's alright...do you have a boarding pass?"He asked Marisa.  
"Well, I do, but it's somewhere in that pile."She pointed to the cluttered pile in his arms of tickets.

"Well..."He started.  
"But, my Mum is on that plane."She started to cry.  
"She'll leave without me, and...and..."She burst out into sobbs.  
"Ok ok! Um, find your mum, and sit down with her."He said, and Marisa nodded. She went through the enterence of the plane. She saw a woman go into the bathroom. The man came onto the plane to see Marisa sitting alone in the third row of the plane.  
"Where's your mum?"He asked Marisa.  
"She's in the bathroom."Marisa told him.  
"Ok, stay with her throughout the entier flight, ok?"He said. Marisa nodded. The man went off the plane. A few more people boarded the plane then they closed the door. Marisa wasnt paying attention to what the pilot was saying. After a few minutes the plane left the airport and went into the sky.

After a few hours, Marisa fell asleep. She had eaten two meals which were both delicious, watched a film on the screen of the plane, listened to some gentle, calming music on these overly large headphones, and after that, she went to sleep. She woke up the next morning, and they were still up in the sky, the pilot said that they would be landing in another hour or two, but they wouldnt be in New York. So, Marisa had to stay on the plane. She hated this. Really she did. The only thing good about the ride was that she got free lunch, dinner, and breakfast, which she was ordering. She got pancakes, sausages, eggs, and toast. She was treated like royalty, Marisa thought. But why? Marisa didnt know the answer. But she didnt care. She got free food, and somewhere to sleep besides the ground in an ally. Marisa was perfectly fine with this.


End file.
